1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a window system, and more particularly to a divided light window with a weep and sealing system designed to drain excess moisture from the window.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Divided light windows are well-known in the art. Conventional divided light windows generally include top and bottom rails connected at opposite ends to vertically extending stiles to form an outer frame. One or more horizontal and vertical center bars are used to divide the outer frame into a plurality of light openings. A glass unit, which can consist of a single pane of glass or, for insulated windows, a plurality of glass panes separated from each other by a spacer, is placed within each light opening. The glass unit is secured within each light opening by a bead made of, for example, wood and extending along the outer edges of the glass unit. Typically, the glass unit is placed within the light opening and rests, sometimes with the assistance of glazing tape or glazing compound, against a lip of the frame extending around the periphery of the light opening. The wood bead is then stapled or nailed to the frame of the light opening to hold the glass unit in place.
A common problem with divided light windows, as well as most windows, is the accumulation of moisture within the window. Water that accumulates within the window can cause a wooden frame to warp, check and even rot. Accordingly, there are known several types of window systems that provide for ways to drain water from the window.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,361 relates to a door or window frame that includes an interior drain channel to collect and discharge moisture which may leak into the frame. A draining channel is provided in a vertical jamb strip, and a horizontal seal strip includes tiered drainways to collect the water from the draining channel and dispose of it through weep holes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,033 relates to a two-part glazing system for a double hung window. Each window is supported by a sash frame having two vertically extending stiles and a top and lower rail. The glazing system is primarily used for the lower rail of the sash frame and includes a liner member and a glazing bead that are snap fit together. The liner member has a flat surface which covers a lip of the lower rail and a front wall that includes drain holes. Water running down the window is designed to run off a front panel of the glazing bead. However, if water works its way between the window and the glazing bead, it is collected in the liner member and drains through the drain holes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,650 relates to a wood gliding window assembly. A lower frame member has convex-shaped glides that slide within a cutout portion of a sill. An elongated notch is provided in the sill and forms a run-off for moisture within the window through a pair of spaced drain ports.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,369 relates to a reversible sill structure that includes a draining system that may have true divided lights. A glass panel is supported by a pair of spaced-apart tubular members which are joined by an inclined web. The inclined web forms a conduit for directing water through a series of weep holes in one of the tubular members and to the exterior of the sill structure.